View Full Version : Sylvania halolight combo!


radiotron
09-18-2012, 06:51 PM
1953 sylvania halolight combo (colonial) model
radio/ record player work tv needs a high voltage cap

With ALL the ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS!!!!!!!!

radiotron
09-18-2012, 07:18 PM
The doors arent that stable thogh becouse it weighs almost 300 pounds,
therefore someone held onto the doors while cariing it:sigh: their still atatched though:thmbsp:

Username1
09-18-2012, 07:49 PM
there is one of those in ny cl

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/atq/3261235466.html

yea.

radiotron
09-18-2012, 09:07 PM
there is one of those in ny cl

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/atq/3261235466.html

yea.

the combos are a whole lot rarer thogh:yes:

Jeffhs
09-18-2012, 09:29 PM
the combos are a whole lot rarer thogh:yes:

The one on CL could be in far worse shape than the combo is. The set in New York state has no knobs and the condition of the TV is unknown, which should send up a red flag immediately. I don't like to guess about these things, but the set on CL could be just about worthless, except for parts. (I would not dream of plugging this one in, except through a Variac -- and even then I wouldn't expect much, if the set worked at all.) The owner may have cabbaged the knobs for use with something else, and the tubes could be missing as well.

radiotron
09-19-2012, 07:10 AM
The one on CL could be in far worse shape than the combo is. The set in New York state has no knobs and the condition of the TV is unknown, which should send up a red flag immediately. I don't like to guess about these things, but the set on CL could be just about worthless, except for parts. (I would not dream of plugging this one in, except through a Variac -- and even then I wouldn't expect much, if the set worked at all.) The owner may have cabbaged the knobs for use with something else, and the tubes could be missing as well.

Mine the radio, and record player works, but the tv needs a high voltage cap :sigh:
(working on that now)

DavGoodlin
09-19-2012, 07:39 AM
Tubes are very easy to find for these sets. I would take it if it was closer.

snelson903
09-19-2012, 10:01 AM
wow ,thats a good deal, someone needs to get that one before it becomes a art project that's the kind they go for.

radiotron
09-19-2012, 02:26 PM
almost shorted the radio out:sigh:, luckly i didnt! It was playing, somehow a piece of the pilot light broke off touched the negative, and positive it tured off smoke started pouring out the back, it was BAD:sigh::tears

Jeffhs
09-19-2012, 02:56 PM
almost shorted the radio out:sigh:, luckly i didnt! It was playing, somehow a piece of the pilot light broke off touched the negative, and positive it tured off smoke started pouring out the back, it was BAD:sigh::tears

Did you turn it off in time to prevent any more damage or a fire? How much damage to the chassis was there, if any? I personally cannot imagine how a broken pilot light (most of them in old radios are #47s) could cause a major short such as you describe, unless the pieces of the bulb somehow shorted a B+ point to ground and overloaded the power transformer. That may be where the smoke was coming from.

Hope you get the radio working again. These old sets can work quite well when they are in good shape. Recap yours (at very least replace the filters), and you will have a set you can be proud of.

Sylvania made some excellent TVs in their day. The Halolight cast a soft glow around the TV picture, increasing the contrast and also allowing the use of the TV in an otherwise dark room -- although I'd think the picture could be even better with at least one room light on in addition to the Halolight, to say nothing of reducing the possibility of eyestrain, as could happen if one watches TV in a totally dark room (most eye doctors will warn their patients against this).

Good luck.

radiotron
09-19-2012, 03:14 PM
Did you turn it off in time to prevent any more damage or a fire? How much damage to the chassis was there, if any? I personally cannot imagine how a broken pilot light (most of them in old radios are #47s) could cause a major short such as you describe, unless the pieces of the bulb somehow shorted a B+ point to ground and overloaded the power transformer. That may be where the smoke was coming from.

Hope you get the radio working again. These old sets can work quite well when they are in good shape. Recap yours (at very least replace the filters), and you will have a set you can be proud of.

Sylvania made some excellent TVs in their day. The Halolight cast a soft glow around the TV picture, increasing the contrast and also allowing the use of the TV in an otherwise dark room -- although I'd think the picture could be even better with at least one room light on in addition to the Halolight, to say nothing of reducing the possibility of eyestrain, as could happen if one watches TV in a totally dark room (most eye doctors will warn their patients against this).

Good luck.

yes i turned it off in time theres no damage to the chaissis whew the radio still works, what happened was the solder on the bottom cracked slid over, and touched the to together
it hasnt been recaped, but the caps are really strong:yes:

radiotron
09-19-2012, 06:04 PM
any idea what these are inside the high voltage cage theres no ib3, but 2 glass rods with 3 connections caps?:scratch2:

Username1
09-19-2012, 06:31 PM
"The one on CL could be in far worse shape than the combo is. The set in New York state has no knobs and the condition of the TV is unknown, which should send up a red flag immediately. I don't like to guess about these things, but the set on CL could be just about worthless, except for parts. (I would not dream of plugging this one in, except through a Variac -- and even then I wouldn't expect much, if the set worked at all.) The owner may have cabbaged the knobs for use with something else, and the tubes could be missing as well. "

Well, if I were interested in this set, I see that for a NY set, the chassis is rust free, so is the power transformer, the cabinet has no mold, or water damage, and the face is clear and clean. No picture tube brightner. I think that for the price this set is just three ticks below peach. Even the part of the cabinet back that sits on the ground that is unfinished looks like it has been in a nice dry climate. It certainly looks better than sets I have seen for $50. or more.... CL Often has some good finds.

jr_tech
09-19-2012, 06:49 PM
any idea what these are inside the high voltage cage theres no ib3, but 2 glass rods with 3 connections caps?:scratch2:

Type 5642 HV diodes:

http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aai0016.htm

Widely used in Tektronix oscilloscopes of the era, and a few TVs.

Here are a few on the 'bay:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=5642+diode&_sacat=0

Not affiliated,
jr

ggregg
09-19-2012, 07:07 PM
yes i turned it off in time theres no damage to the chaissis whew the radio still works, what happened was the solder on the bottom cracked slid over, and touched the to together
it hasnt been recaped, but the caps are really strong:yes:

No they're not. How can a fifty plus year old cap be really strong? Run it till you fry it, I guess.

radiotron
09-19-2012, 07:58 PM
No they're not. How can a fifty plus year old cap be really strong? Run it till you fry it, I guess.

i have no clue, i checked some with a volt meter, and tested really close to what they were sopposed to be somebody could have replaced them in the past, but it was left plugged in for over 50 years, it was found in a falling down house

N2IXK
09-19-2012, 08:12 PM
i have no clue, i checked some with a volt meter, and tested really close to what they were sopposed to be somebody could have replaced them in the past, but it was left plugged in for over 50 years, it was found in a falling down house

How does one check a capacitor with a voltmeter?

radiotron
09-19-2012, 08:23 PM
How does one check a capacitor with a voltmeter?

put it on the right ohms, and check their voltages.

AiboPet
09-19-2012, 09:19 PM
I don't have an "ESR meter" yet, but was under the impression it takes one of these to actually check a capacitor. In school like 20 years ago, I remember we had an actual bench unit that was actually called a capacitor checker...I think Sencore comes to mind when remembering that thing. It would charge the cap and check for leakage, etc. This was just a "TV/Radio repair" class.....so even in the eighties I never got to work with any real vintage stuff.

I would be curious too how to use a regular Fluke or B&K DMM to check a capacitor.

N2IXK
09-19-2012, 09:41 PM
put it on the right ohms, and check their voltages.

OK, how do you check voltages when the meter is on an ohms range?

And how does a voltage measurement tell you anything about the condition of a capacitor?

josephdaniel
09-19-2012, 09:44 PM
A capacitor may test fine under very small voltages but begin to leak as more voltage is applyed wich it wat more voltage than a ohmmeter could ever supply.

bandersen
09-19-2012, 10:55 PM
Right. You need to test caps for leakage at their rated voltage - typically 250, 400 or 600 VDC in vintage TVs. A device like this Simpson Capacohmeter can do pulse tests up to 900 VDC.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5011/5541759813_9f89fe699a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/5541759813/)

n2bew
09-20-2012, 02:03 AM
It certainly looks better than sets I have seen for $50. or more.... CL Often has some good finds.


Well, I am off in the morning to pick it up. I live within 20 miles and had contacted the guy as soon as it showed up on CL in my area. I will post pictures when I get it and report on condition. ( I will start a new thread when I do so as to not hijack this one) Hope you guys are not too upset that I got it if someone had their sights on it. :sigh:

At least you will know I will plan on restoring it and it won't end up a fish tank or worse. :nono:

By the way I am new to VK and have only posted a few times so thought I would say hello. My name is Tom and I have been only restoring radios the past year and I am just getting started with TV's. Having lots of fun so far and glad I found this forum thanks to Bob "bandersentv" mentioning it on his YouTube channel. I also have to give Bob the credit for getting me interested in TV's in the first place through his YouTube channel. I never even thought about restoring TV's and then after seeing Bob's restorations of them got hooked rather quickly. :banana:
This Halo will be only my third set that includes a little GE 1956 portable and an Admiral 24a12 that also showed up on CL in my area, I had to pay for the Admiral, but am glad I did!
So far I have only checked the CRT's with my B&K and done a light cleaning of the sets, and started taking the G.E. appart to recap it. I'm married and have kids at home so have to squeeze in time for the hobby when I can, which is not much. I hope to do more over the winter on these.

Tom B.

DavGoodlin
09-20-2012, 07:38 AM
..............................
So far I have only checked the CRT's with my B&K and done a light cleaning of the sets, and started taking the G.E. appart to recap it. I'm married and have kids at home so have to squeeze in time for the hobby when I can, which is not much. I hope to do more over the winter on these.

Tom B.

I have the same scene. Fortunately storage is not an issue but time really is. :sigh:I just have to make up my mind what to work on with that limited time. I decided on the Sylvania 21C528W Halo I just got. I get up extra early just so I can get a half hour in before leaving for work. I cooked the CRT (at 6.3v) on my tester for that 30 minutes each of the last 3 days and it moved from .5 to 6, on a 0-10 scale. This morning I pulled the tubes and will test them while doing laundry tonight. The capacitors are VERY suspicious looking, so I will pull the two-section chassis and bring half into work for a lunchtime re-cap. I have even been restoring radios at my desk over lunch. Do what you have to do. My goal is to have the set looking good enough to bring in the house and watch Twilight Zone DVDs on it.

Phil Nelson
09-20-2012, 11:35 AM
The capacitors are VERY suspicious lookingThe appearance of old paper and electrolytic caps is not a good guide to their internal condition. (They can look great outside but be garbage inside.) They are so often bad that most restorers replace them without question. This article has info about recapping:

http://antiqueradio.org/recap.htm

Have fun!

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

radiotron
09-22-2012, 07:36 AM
The appearance of old paper and electrolytic caps is not a good guide to their internal condition. (They can look great outside but be garbage inside.) They are so often bad that most restorers replace them without question. This article has info about recapping:

http://antiqueradio.org/recap.htm

Have fun!

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

thanks that helped a lot

radiotron
09-22-2012, 07:37 AM
Type 5642 HV diodes:

http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aai0016.htm

Widely used in Tektronix oscilloscopes of the era, and a few TVs.

Here are a few on the 'bay:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=5642+diode&_sacat=0

Not affiliated,
jr

if these go bad can the tv humm like its bad caps? (yes i know not to turn the tv on)

N2IXK
09-22-2012, 07:44 AM
A bad HV rectifier tube would cause no high voltage, resulting in no light on the screen. A weak tube would cause low HV, resulting in a dim, poorly focused image and /or blooming (image size changes with brightness).

BTW, bad capacitors can cause all kinds of symptoms (depending on what capacitor is bad in what circuit), not just a hum.

Electronic M
09-22-2012, 12:09 PM
TVs can also hum from a non-capacitor related issue known as intercarrier buzz. That buzz can not be fixed with caps and sometimes simply can't be fixed. If there is constant hum regardless of wheather the set is connected to a signal suspect caps, but if the buzz comes and goes with picture content(high contrast lettering tends to make really loud buzz) then it is the intercarrier buzz that is normal on many sets. The buzz and hum sound similar, but different so with experience one can tell which it is by ear.

AiboPet
09-22-2012, 04:30 PM
The little cheap chinese b/w sets I have so many of VERY often have this intercarrier buzz.

radiotron
09-22-2012, 04:41 PM
its not a buzz the picture doesnt come up it blew a 5u4, and humms really loud
the radio, and record player work

N2IXK
09-22-2012, 08:39 PM
Blowing out rectifier tubes is a SURE sign of a dead shorted B+ line. Most likely culprit would be a filter capacitor.

The hum would be the grossly overloaded power transformer. Run it like that for any appreciable length of time, and the transformer will die. Most of them are made of unobtanium these days.

From this and some of your other threads, it seems that you really need to learn the very basics of this hobby. You can't simply plug in TV sets that have been sitting idle for decades and expect them to work, even if they were stored away in showroom new condition. Capacitors in particular DO NOT age well, and you can't always spot bad ones with a simple ohmmeter check.

Learn what you are doing, or you are going to destroy many, many sets before you ever get one working....

radiotron
10-04-2012, 02:47 PM
If i turn the tv on (WITH ALL TUBES PULLED) will the floresant part of the picture tube work, if it still does?:scratch2:

zenithfan1
10-04-2012, 02:57 PM
I don't know, but it will still be bad for it to turn it on like that. The Halo-light can be separated from the main power switch, that would be the way to do it without hurting the chassis further.

radiotron
10-04-2012, 03:05 PM
I don't know, but it will still be bad for it to turn it on like that. The Halo-light can be separated from the main power switch, that would be the way to do it without hurting the chassis further.

it doesnt look like it, but is there a way to separate the halolight from the picture tube?
i just want to see a halolight before i sell it (i have someone wanting it now)

AiboPet
10-04-2012, 04:38 PM
Just "!!"

PLEASE....Just sell this to someone who will treat it right

Sorry, but just my FOUR cents. You need to start out with some electronics kits. Read some about using at least a multimeter (You would be able to trace the halolight circuit back to where it's getting power)

Then do like I used to do as a kid and take on some "light" duty radios and stuff....maybe a few of the little cheap chinese sets I run across CONSTANTLY for five to ten bucks. Broken ones with simple little vertical, HV or power problems.

I really LOVE the old tube sets...but I do have enough sense not to drag home a nice set I know is beyond my skills (MOST tube sets for now). My plan is to drag home a couple "swap meet finds" first that may have REALLY pedestrian problems and may just need a "targetted" recap. I really only plan to have one or two nice little table sets though... maybe an open chassis I can learn some tube troubleshooting on and keep really clean. Starting out with old table radios when I was like 14. An old Hallicrafter's shortwave will usually simply not work if something is off. These TV sets...you stand to pretty much destroy them for good if you piss off the flyback or CRT.

LOVE that you are able to "score" these sets I can't even SEE around San Diego, but maybe just try not to be so impatient with them.

radiotron
10-04-2012, 04:59 PM
i know the dangers etc. not what to mess with, and its not impatiant it just this is the only halolight ive ever seen in person.

AiboPet
10-04-2012, 05:26 PM
Lucky you..... I'm 46 and never seen one.

I grew up in Hong Kong, and big tube TV sets were so rare. I grew up with all the little Sony and Panasonic sets. You would see big tube consoles pretty much only on estate areas with room for actual HOUSES. I learned to work on solid state sets mostly because it's what I had room for in my little flat.

NOW, I live in a flat here in the states...but it's like THREE times bigger than the little bachelor flat I lived in HK. Still not really big enough for a console though when it's properly furnished. I have on top of that maybe seventy now little solid state sets in little "display" areas of the place. Lucky you.....You have the room to HAVE such a nice console. Put in the time, learn to do them right....DO the recapping. I have found now that even "my" sets are now old enough to require recapping. And these are from the '60s and '70s. Especially the little Sony sets. They now ALL seem to show up with horizontal and linearity trouble.

radiotron
10-04-2012, 05:48 PM
Lucky you..... I'm 46 and never seen one.

I grew up in Hong Kong, and big tube TV sets were so rare. I grew up with all the little Sony and Panasonic sets. You would see big tube consoles pretty much only on estate areas with room for actual HOUSES. I learned to work on solid state sets mostly because it's what I had room for in my little flat.

NOW, I live in a flat here in the states...but it's like THREE times bigger than the little bachelor flat I lived in HK. Still not really big enough for a console though when it's properly furnished. I have on top of that maybe seventy now little solid state sets in little "display" areas of the place. Lucky you.....You have the room to HAVE such a nice console. Put in the time, learn to do them right....DO the recapping. I have found now that even "my" sets are now old enough to require recapping. And these are from the '60s and '70s. Especially the little Sony sets. They now ALL seem to show up with horizontal and linearity trouble.

i have no clue about solid state i only know how to fix tube type I have a whole stockpile of these old tvs, and radios, and parts

radiotron
10-25-2012, 01:56 PM
***** i just burnt out a cap in the radio!! ****
guess ill have to pull out the chaissis and postpone the one im working on now
:nono: :nono: :gigglemad :gigglemad :rant: :mad: :bs: :grumpy: :boxing: :lazer:

jr_tech
10-25-2012, 02:50 PM
***** i just burnt out a cap in the radio!! ****

My, My, who here would have guessed that would happen... Have you purchased a fire extinguisher yet?

jr

AiboPet
10-25-2012, 03:08 PM
JUST LOL!!!

And I thought "I" was being a bit rough on this little kid in another thread (Where he gets a bit a$$hole-ish as to why I don't have a tube set....yet)

radiotron
10-25-2012, 03:16 PM
JUST LOL!!!

And I thought "I" was being a bit rough on this little kid in another thread (Where he gets a bit a$$hole-ish as to why I don't have a tube set....yet)

WWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTT????????????????
im not mad, but really?
i was just trying to show you how much better the picture is, and sound!

sheesh theres too much mis understanding at videokarma

radiotron
10-25-2012, 03:16 PM
My, My, who here would have guessed that would happen... Have you purchased a fire extinguisher yet?

jr

yes......i have :smoke:

ggregg
10-26-2012, 11:19 AM
keep it close..............

tvtimeisfun
10-26-2012, 05:52 PM
Hey Johnny did you let Andrea work on my radio or did your dad throw it down the stairs like your halo lite set? ha ha just kidding see you on sunday Do not forget to post my ad.. Timothy